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Every region has natural areas that are unique and intriguing. If you live in the mountains, the views from the peaks may seem so familiar to you. Your guests will enjoy them, however. You might also be used to smelling the pine trees and seeing the wildlife that lives in your area. Look around your region with the eyes of a tourist, and you’ll begin to appreciate all that the landscape in your area has to offer. Do you have bodies of water such as creeks, rivers, or lakes? Do you have nearby beaches? Do you have unique land forms such as cliffs, mesas, or canyons? These are all prime nature spots to share with your guests.

What sort of culture does your region have to offer? Do you have a theater where actors and actresses put on plays? Do you have musical events featuring rock, blues, or country bands? How about the symphony? Even individuals who prefer pop and rock may like to hear a symphony orchestra belting out a bit of Mozart or Beethoven. Whether your town is small or a big bustling city with renowned artisans, cultural events offer fun things to do with guests.

Every region has food that is native to the area. If you live on the coast, seafood will be a unique offering for your company. If you live in southwest regions, Mexican food can give your guests a taste of your region. If you live near dairies, chances are that your area has great ice cream and cheese to be sampled. Dining out and tasting regional foods can be fun things to do with your guests.

When your houseguests go back home, you may have a renewed appreciation for your hometown and your region. We all tend to take things for granted until we have a chance to view everything with fresh eyes. After showing your guests a great time with lots of fun things to do, you’ll probably appreciate your area even more than before.

Aden War Risk Surcharge – A surcharge on goods transiting the Gulf of Aden used to compensate shippers for additional costs including crew risk compensation, cancellation of economical speed, and redeployment of vessels.

Ad Valorem – A term from Latin meaning, “according to value.” An import duty applied as a percentage of the cargo’s dutiable value.

AI – Abbreviation for “All Inclusive.” The total price to move cargo from origin to destination, inclusive of all charges (limited to transportation costs).

Arrival Notice – A notification by carrier of ship’s arrival to the consignee, the “Notify Party,” and – when applicable – the “Also Notify Party.”

CAF – Abbreviation for “Currency Adjustment Factor.” A charge, expressed as a percentage of a base rate, that is applied to compensate ocean carriers of currency fluctuations.

Cargo Data Declaration Fee – A surcharge assessed for the additional costs of declaring cargo information in advance to the European Union authorities as required for authorities to evaluate any potential security and safety threats.

Carrier – Any person or entity who, in a contract of carriage, undertakes to perform or to procure the perfor­mance of carriage by rail, road, sea, air, inland waterway or by a combination of such modes.

CBM (CM) – Abbreviation for “Cubic Meter.”

CFS – Abbreviation for “Container Freight Station.” A shipping dock where cargo is loaded (“stuffed”) into or unloaded (“stripped”) from containers. Generally, this involves less than containerload shipments, although small shipments destined to same consignee are often consolidated. Container reloading from/to rail or motor carrier equipment is a typical activity. These facilities can be located in container yards, or off dock.

Chassis Utilization Surcharge – A fee imposed for the use of a chassis in conjunction with the shipping container to facilitate overland transportation.

CL – Abbreviation for “Container load”.

COD – Abbreviation for “Collect (cash) on Delivery.”

Congestion – The term used for situations where ships have to queue up and wait for a spot so they can load or offload.

DDC – Abbreviation for “Destination Delivery Charge.” A charge, based on container size, that is applied in many tariffs to cargo. This charge is considered accessorial and is added to the base ocean freight. This charge covers crane lifts off the vessel, drayage of the container within the terminal and gate fees at the terminal operation.